For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the National Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana—until murder saps the life out of the celebration . . . As Robbie arranges a breakfast-themed cook-off at Pans ‘N Pancakes, visitors pour into Brown County for the annual maple extravaganza. Unfortunately, that includes Professor Connolly, a know-it-all academic from Boston who makes enemies everywhere he goes—and this time, bad manners prove deadly. Soon after clashing with several scientists at a maple tree panel, the professor is found dead outside a sugar shack, stabbed to death by a local restaurateur’s knife. When an innocent woman gets dragged into the investigation and a biologist mysteriously disappears, Robbie drops her winning maple biscuits to search for answers. But can she help police crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky situation with a killer?

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha-nominated and Amazon-bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction which has appeared in a number of juried anthologies. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts, where she's currently working on her next Country Store mystery when she isn't cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

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It’s the month of March and time for the Brown County Maple Syrup Festival in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie Jordan, owner and chef of Pans ‘N Pancakes, has just finished hanging a “Join Maple Madness” banner on the front porch of her quaint little diner. Along with festival there was a conference being held on the maple tree science. Attending the conference were a local Professor Sonia Genest, Dr. Sajit Rao (who is the father of Robbie’s sous chef, Turner Rao), Professor Warren Connolly from Boston, as well as others. There was no love lost among Dr. Rao and Professor Sonia Genest with Professor Connolly. Turner Rao’s father and his family owned a tree farm and would be hosting a demonstration where a process called sugaring off was being held. When Robbie’s Aunt Adele walks into the diner the next day, she seemed shaken and Robbie is worried something had happened to her aunt’s boyfriend. But her aunt shared she had found the dead body of someone who had already had a close call the day before, Professor Warren Connolly. He was stabbed with a knife owned by Chef Christina James. Now it was Robbie’s time to find out who killed Connolly and was attempting to frame her friend Christina as well as Turner’s father.The characters are all well developed, and the pace of the book is constant. This is the fourth in the Country Store Mystery series and although I hadn’t read any of the previous books, I found this story could be read as a stand-a-lone. The various descriptions of the maple syrup process was interesting and helped tie in the festival well.

I love this series. The main characters and many of the secondary ones are well developed and draw the reader into the story and into the community. I would love to spend more time with Abe but the time we get is quality time. While Robbie isn't the one to find the body, she is drawn into the investigation when a friend is one of the prime suspects. While she is sure that her friend and fellow chef Christine isn't the guilty party, she can't seem to eliminate any of the others. As much as Olivia has bugged her in the past, the State Trooper investigating this murder is even harder to deal with. The March Maple fest is doing its job of drawing in crowds just when she is short handed at Pots and Pancakes but nothing will stop Robbie from trying to find the one who really killed the irritating victim.

Robbie Jordan always seems to find herself in the middle of a murder mystery. This time the murdered man, Professor Connolly, was eating in her restaurant and seen arguing with several customers. When he turns up dead on the property of Robbie's new helper's farm, Turner Roa's father becomes a prime suspect. Not only was he seen arguing with the professor, he disappears. Robbie does all she can to help the family find Dr. Roa and try to find the true murderer.Turner and his family do not want Robbie's help and this causes many issues between Robbie and the helper she desperately needs during this busy maple festival.While Robbie spends much of her free time trying to locate Dr. Roa and figure out who killed Professor Connolly, she uncovers many clues and puts herself in clear view of the killer.Another great read by Maddie Day. I look forward to the next book in this series as each one is better than the one before.

Robbie Jordan is having a good life, but, finding that she misses her right arm, Danna who is on a short vacation. Luckily she hired a young man to help her in Pan's and Pancakes, her breakfast/ lunch general store.

There is a science conference nearby and Robbie is busy trying to keep up with all the extra business. She comes upon an argument on her store's front steps. Seems one Professor is not well liked at all!

This feeling intensifies when Robbie's Aunt finds the man dead behind a sugar shack. This is not what the conference, nor the Sugar Maple Festival wants. Robbie feels compelled to figure out this puzzle.

This book was interesting and seemed to be readable as I paged through the pages unstopped. I did have a clue who did it but why? It kept me reading to the last word. Then, I read all the lovely recipes given as a bonus to us readers.

I enjoy this series very much. It makes me wish this diner was in my town so I could go sit and visit with Robbie, Danna, Turner and all of the others. I would love to spend time looking at and learning about the antiques. This is the 4th in the series and while I do not like to read series out of order I feel that Ms. Day gives enough information that you could read these out of order and catch up easily. I will enjoy seeing these character continue to grow and am eagerly awaiting the next book.

I really enjoy this series, it really takes me to the time and place, I would love to sit in Pans 'N Pancakes with my friends enjoying breakfast and the kitchen gadgets!!!!!!! Revisiting South Likely is like visiting old friends and there is always an interesting mystery/puzzle. This is another great volume in the series, I highly recommend!!

Love this series. She tries not to get involved Robbie Jordan always seems to be in the middle of a murder case. This time Robbie is helping prove that her good friend and fellow chef Christine wasn't the murder even though Christine's knife was the murder weapon. Can't wait for the next book in this series.